Out There (Book One)
by SavannahsDrabbles
Summary: April adopts an unwanted, newborn turtle from the pet store right before Christmas. To everyone's dismay, however, things do not go as easily as planned. ((Introduction to my TMNT OC - trust me, she's not a Mary Sue. :) ))
1. Chapter 1

_Text from Ichiban Turtle, 8:23 a.m.: Are u sure you don't need any help bringing the stuff down? I can meet you at the nearest grate._

_Text sent from April's Phone, 8:25 a.m.: Nah, I'm good. Be down soon. Waiting 4 crowds to clear. Will txt if I need anything._

April tucked her tPhone back into her pocket after it vibrated once more with a text that confirmed Leo had seen her message. The red head shivered in the cold and moved her gloved hands to a warmer position resting underneath her thighs. Jeez, New York winters didn't kid around. Her feet swung slowly off the bus bench, lightly tapping the gym bag stuffed full of supplies that she had placed between her feet so as to keep an eye on it.

The streets bustled with shoppers, all in a rush to finish their last minute Christmas shopping. Yells from street vendors were called across the crowds, warm puffs of hair hovered above the shoppers' faces, and arms are laden with heavy bags. April smiled softly as she shivered. Christmas time had always been her favorite season, despite the crowds that usually flocked to her home city. There was a certain feeling of joy and cheer that always filled the air like a warm fog, making every heart just a little bit lighter and problems not seem as bad. Besides – this would be the first Christmas she would get to spend with her new family.

Last year her aunt had adamantly refused that April spend the entirety of Christmas day with her "friends from camp", as April had referred to them, but after weeks of begging and whining, she had finally agreed to allow the girl to spend Christmas Eve and Christmas evening out. The girl knew that it was only out of pity that this was agreed on – what with that also being her first Christmas that she wouldn't awake to her father in the house as well. But, despite this fact, April had taken comfort in the fact that her foster family had promised to return her father to her – and she did not doubt that promise in the slightest. Now, a little over a year after the events that had changed her life forever, her father was home – and human, thankfully – and although they still lived with her aunt, her father had agreed that they could spend Christmas at the lair.

A shop door jingled nearby, causing the red head to perk up and glance in its direction.

A few yards away, a young boy and his mother exited the pet shop, the boy clutching a small glass bowl to his stomach and eyeing a tiny turtle inside. "I'mma name him Speedy," he proclaimed proudly. "Do you like that, Speedy? You're gonna get to go home and we'll have some nice lettuce and strawberries and all sorts of yummy Christmas foods for you!"

The mother chuckled, keeping one hand on her child's shoulder as they strode past April. "Just remember that this is Emma's pet, too – she's going to help you decide on the name."

April smiled thoughtfully as the child continued out of earshot, complaining slightly at the idea of potentially changing "Speedy"'s name, but then resuming in telling the turtle about the food that they would have at home.

She glanced at her watch, then back at the pet shop. _It's going to be a while before the crowds clear up enough to get to the lair. Might as well hang out somewhere warm._

Grabbing her bag and shaking off the snow that threatened to seep through the flannel fabric, the seventeen year old ducked through the crowd of people – managing to only have to give a "_No, I'm not interested in whatever you're selling. Thank you." _once before she reached the safety of the shop.

A bell tinkled overhead as she forced her way into the warm store, her skin tingling with pleasure at the sudden change of temperature. The shopkeeper waved at her from where he was assisting a family in scooping a bag of fish from one of the large tanks and signaled that he would be with her in a moment. April nodded back, one hand on her bag as she strolled through the building and approached the tank she had been thinking of.

Over a dozen turtles of varying sizes tumbled over each other in the glass tank, which was separated into three smaller tanks by pieces of thin glass. One portion held the males, another was home to the females, and the third housed a sandy ground on which several hatchlings roamed about. She set her bag on the ground, one leg against it so she could tell if someone tried to grab it, and reached a hand into the aquarium to stroke the top of one tiny turtle's shell.

_Carparace, _the seventeen year old identified the part of the shell in the back of her head. Her fingers traced the rough pattern, earning a growling chirp of approval from the reptile. _And the little parts are the scutes. And the part on his stomach is the pl- plastron. Yeah. Plastron. _

She moved her hand to touch one of the larger of the baby turtles, and then jerked back when it snapped. _Feisty little bugger. I bet that's what Raph was like at this age._

"You're not planning to mutate, are ya, buddy?" April giggled lightly as she poked one of the pieces of lettuce in the tank towards the turtle. It makes a grunting sound and then waddled forward, intent on munching the green treat. "Because if you do, I know a turtle that can help you learn how to wield some sais."

"Sorry about that wait, ma'am – can I help you?" the shopkeeper, a blonde-haired man in his early twenties, ambled towards April and nodded towards the tank. "I'd advise that you don't stick your hand in the tank, though. Most of those turtles will snap at you."

The seventeen year old shook her head, blushing slightly at the thought that the man – Cal, according to his nametag – might have overheard her conversing with the turtle. "I'm fine – just browsing." She nodded towards the hatchlings. "They're really cute. I have a brother who used to have a pet turtle, but I never saw it this small."

Cal leaned forward, resting his arms on the tank and nodding cheerfully. "Yeah – these guys just hatched this morning. There are actually a few more eggs under here," He pointed to a section of the hatchling area where a heat lamp hung. The area underneath it was layered with a sand-like substance and punctuated by the sight of a thermometer sticking out of the ground. "I'm guessing that they'll hatch late tonight or while the shop is closed tomorrow."

April grinned, peering at the pile of sand and wondering how many eggs could be buried underneath. Her eyes widened in delight when the small grains of sand suddenly shifted.

"Well, lookie there," Cal seemed to perk up as the ground moved slightly. "I guess we're going to have one more arrival before the holiday."

The two stood together, watching in interest as a tiny, pale white turtle finally pulled itself from the ground. A smile filled April's face as the turtle took its first full breaths of oxygen. "Happy birthday, little one!"

"Huh – an albino turtle," Cal shook his head slowly. "That's weird. We didn't have any albino mothers. I guess this one had a fault in its DNA – a mutation or something."

The red head had to fight the urge to snort at the reference to mutation. _Dude, if you think this is a mutation, then you'd be in for the shock of your life if you met the guys. _

The baby turtle stood still for a moment, eyes blinking slowly as if to adjust to the bright light, and then took a step forward. Suddenly, the turtle had flopped onto its plastron with one limb sticking out amongst the others. Or, lack of limb. The small creature rocked slowly, trying to regain its footing on the three limbs that were present. The fourth, its front right leg, stopped halfway down at where its knee would be with only a little nub in its place.

A sigh filled April's ears, and she turned to see Cal bending down to grab a pack of rubber gloves from the shelf beneath the turtle tank. A mixture of sadness and displeasure radiated from his body and bombarded April's empath mind. She furrowed her brow, reaching out to grab the man's shoulder and stop him from moving.

"Hey – what are you doing?"

The young man shrugged her off uncomfortably, and nodded towards the case. "That one's obviously a misfit – with the limb missing, it won't be able to compete for food with the other turtles. On top of that, no one's going to want to a turtle that's so clearly broken." He shrugged, seeming to not notice April's horrified expression. "The kindest thing to do for it would be to put it out of any misery that it will more than likely go through."

A feeling of anger sparked in April's veins, and her voice rose as she spoke. "So you're going to just kill it before it's had the chance to live? What if someone still wanted to adopt it? You'd have murdered an animal!"

Several customers nearby turned, interest obviously piqued at the sight of a grown man being fussed at by a teenage girl. Cal held up his hands in surrender. "Look, I'd love if it got adopted. I don't want to do this anymore than you. But we have to close down in a few hours for Christmas, at which point the turtles will be left alone in the tank. During that time, and the day afterwards, they will have to survive on the food we leave out for them. Since the turtle is crippled, it will be taken advantage of by the others and will end up starving to death. Do you want that?"

April froze at his words, her eyes turning to the infant turtle as it continued to lay on its plastron, legs squirming as another turtle approached curiously. She bit her lip and watched the creature for a moment in silence, before turning back to the shopkeeper with an expression of fierce determination. "I want her."


	2. Chapter 2

"DECK THE LAIR WITH BOWS OF HOLLY, FA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA-"

"SHUT UP, MIKEY!"

"Mikey, I'm going to _explode _if you sing that song one more time." Raph growled from his place on the couch where he was currently stringing tiny pieces of popcorn. Several crumbled kernels lay on the floor nearby that he had crushed out of aggravation. The red-masked turtle grabbed an empty can of soda and flung it over his shoulder, smirking when a resounding 'OW!' could be heard from his younger brother.

"Besides, there's only eight 'la's in that song," An olive green turtle bearing a large cardboard box stuffed with decorations rounded the corner and scooped the soda can off the floor. With a quick flick of his wrist, the can landed in a nearby trash can. "If you insist on singing that same song three hundred times this early in the day, at least sing it correctly."

Rubbing his head where the can had pegged him, Mikey laughed. "I don't know guys, I think that the more 'la's you use, the happier it shows you are!" The turtle back flipped onto the couch and landed heavily beside Raph, who gave a grunt that clearly said 'If I weren't busy at the moment, you would be getting a sock to the jaw'. "And who _wouldn't _want to be happy right now? It's Christmas!"

"Tomorrow is Christmas, my son," A six foot rat strode around the corner, his emerald cane tapping lightly before him. "Now is a day for preparation. You did say that you wanted to have a traditional Christmas this year."

"Yeah!" the orange masked turtle bounced on the couch, jolting a grumpy Raph and scattering pieces of popcorn with each bounce. "I mean, this is the first time that April and Mr. O'Neil get to spend Christmas with us – I want it to be _perfect!"_

"Then you need to stop goofing off and help set up," Leo strode by his youngest brother and dumped a box of tinsel in his lap with a grin. "That tinsel's not going to hang itself."

Mikey laughed merrily. "Neither is the popcorn strings – which Raph ate most of, I might add." he leaned over and patted Raph's plastron. "We can't hang up what's in your stomach."

The third youngest turtle growled in aggravation and swatted at Mikey's hand. "Don't act all innocent – I saw you swipe a handful of candy canes from the bag of supplies April brought last time."

"I needed them for the sponge cake!" Mikey blinked innocently at his family, who had by now turned to watch what was sure to be an argument. "It didn't look Christmas-y enough without them!"

Master Splinter shook his head slightly, a slight smile on his face as he turned to head back into the dojo. "I would try strawberries, my son. That is the typical topping for a Christmas cake."

At that moment, the sound of footsteps could be heard rounding the corner to the lair entrance. Everyone looked up as if on cue, smiles all around as April pushed through the turnstiles.

"Meri Kurisumasu, April," the rat nodded warmly and placed a fatherly hand on her shoulder. "It is good to see you today,"

"Meri Kurisumasu to you too, Sensei," the red head bowed slightly at the waist, and then yelped slightly when the boxes she was carrying wobbled and threatened to take a tumble.

"Whoa – I've got it!" Donnie seemed to materialize out of thin air beside the human girl as he dove to catch her belongings. The turtle managed to capture all of the boxes before they hit the floor, and straightened with a worried frown on his face. "Gosh, April – you brought a lot! I hope you didn't spend too much money on us!"

April shook her head absently as she reached to take back the top box, hands moving quickly to pry it open and peek inside. She breathed a sigh in relief, her voice cooing slightly as she spoke the contents of the box. "Goodness – that was quite a shake up! Are you okay?"

"What'd you bring us? Let me see!" Mikey scrambled up from couch and darted across the room to wrap the girl in a bear hug. "Is it decorations? Food? A bunch of carol-singing Kraang?"

"Yes, yes, and, unfortunately, no. But I did bring something else that I was hoping you guys could help me with." April gestured for everyone to gather around a corner of the pit, where she knelt down and opened the box. She smiled triumphantly at the rest of the group, gauging their reactions as they leaned forward to see.

"Oh my gosh – it's a little turtle! Oh my gosh oh my gosh –" Mikey fanned himself excitedly as April cupped the tiny creature in her hands and held it up for them to see. "Can I pet her? She's so cuuuuttteee! What's her name? Can I name her? What happened to her leg? Oh my gosh, she's adorable! Can we keep her?"

"You got… a pet turtle?" Raph muttered softly.

"Yeah," April sat back on her heels, allowing Mikey to gush at the reptile. "I was keeping warm in the pet store, and she – I'm going to guess that it's a girl – hatched while I was there. The store keeper dude was about to kill her because of her arm." The red head scowled deeply, as if she were mentally reliving the event. "He called her 'broken' and a 'mutant', and basically said that the others would bully her to death." Leo and Donnie noticeably flinched at her words, and Raph's fists tightened as he continued to eye the white terrapin.

Sensei cleared his throat, giving Raphael a warning look, and then nodded. "You did an admirable thing, to take in one so small and frail. And while I disagree with the employee's choice of words, I have to ask if he might be right about her chances of survival."

"She's pretty small," Donnie knelt beside April, hands clutching his thighs as if to resist reaching out to touch the turtle. April watched his hesitancy with curiosity, and felt something radiating from her friend. _Nervousness? _"And to hatch during the middle of winter – she needs to get warm really soon. I think you might have helped with her being mistreated by the other turtles, but she still has a long way to go."

Leo nodded and smiled hopefully. "I'm sure we can all help, though. I guess if anyone knows how to take care of turtles, it's us."

April looked up and gave a small laugh of relief. "Thanks, guys. I knew that you'd be able to help."

"Anytime,"

The red head placed the albino turtle back into its box, despite Mikey's 'aww's of disappointment, and glanced around. "H-hey – where'd Raph go? I wanted to ask him a few questions about how he cared for Spike…"

The others turned to look around, only then noticing that the red-masked terrapin was nowhere in sight.


	3. Chapter 3

"Hng – gah!" _Thud thud thud._

April raised a fist hesitantly. She could feel Raph's mind even from outside of his room: a swirling mixture of pain and heated frustration. The anger flared every few seconds as the emerald turtle lashed out, more than likely beating his punching bag to a pulp.

The others had attempted to discourage her from following the red-masked terrapin, but considering the semi-urgency of needing to get the baby turtle taken care of, things needed to be said soon.

With another deep breath, April knocked and braced herself for Hurricane Raphael.

_"__Go away!"_

"No, Raph," Pushing aside any thoughts of waiting patiently, the red head pushed open the door and leaned on the door frame, arms crossed. Sure enough, the punching bag in the corner of the room had a new rip on it, courtesy of the turtle who stood nearby with his back turned and hands clenched. "Geez, you're going to tear that thing off the chains."

Raphael didn't turn to look at her, but she could see him clench a bit tighter. "That was really stupid of you, Ape. I mean, seriously? Another turtle? After what happened to Sp- Slash?" he growled and threw a few more hits and kicks at the leather target. "Like – what if – I – arg!"

April shook her head slowly. So that was what this was about. She stepped further into the room, closing the door behind them and going to perch on the foot of Raph's bed. "I'll admit, that was a stupid move of me. I could have called ahead or something. But what did you want me to do – let the poor thing starve to death, or worse? I don't think I could have handled it if she were thrown out into the trash – especially not in this type of weather."

The red-masked turtle hesitated in his punches, shoulders drooping slightly. With a sigh, he moved to drop onto the bed next to April. "No. I wouldn't want that."

April felt a small rush of relief as he began to admit defeat. Her fingers curled around the edge of the mattress as it shifted under his weight. "I didn't think so." she reached out to rest a hand on top of his. Raph visibly relaxed at her touch, his gaze shifting from the floor to meet her's.

"So… now what?" he asked softly.

"I was hoping that you could help me with her," the girl smiled hopefully. "Considering the fact that you and Master Splinter are basically experts in raising turtles, I thought that you could help set me up with some basic care and such."

"Yeah, well," Raph glanced back at his feet. Although it was faint, April could see a small smile curling at his lips. "I guess I could help you. Even though you're still a dork."

April cocked an eyebrow and laughed, the sound bringing an evident grin to Raphael's face. "I'll accept that fact. Now come on, Raph-san. We've got a baby turtle to take care of."

* * *

"The heat lamp will be good for it," Donnie mumbled as he adjusted the small lamp to shine directly into the extra tank that he had found. Nearby, Mikey sat cross-legged on the floor with the turtle in his lap. The small creature moved hesitantly, eyes blinking slowly as it took in the world around her. "I'll have to use one of our heating blankets to go under the bottom of the tank – I don't want to risk it getting too cold during the night."

The freckled turtle glanced up, his attention grabbed at his older brother's words. "Aw, man! It's already freaking cold in the lair at night!"

Donnie shrugged. "Sorry, Mike. We'll have to make do – it's small enough that it couldn't possibly bunk with us, and since it's only just hatched it'll need special care."

Mikey let out an exaggerated sigh and flopped onto his shell to allow the turtle to limp slowly across his plastron. "Oh, well. I guess you're right." he laughed as the turtle climbed up near his face, as if trying to inspect the larger turtle. "And dude, why do you keep calling her an 'it'? She's totes a girl."

Leo suddenly poked his head into Donnie's lab. "Casey just texted and said that he's nearby – something about having a present."  
>"Alright, Leo," the purple masked turtle nodded, hands still working to make sure that the lamp was properly set up. "Hopefully it's not something stupid like last time,"<p>

"You mean that giant whoopee cushion?" Raph and April walked up from behind Leo, and the eldest turtle tossed a grateful glance in April's direction. She smiled warmly in response, one hand thrown across Raph's shoulders.

"I thought that was cool," the youngest turtle mumbled as he gently pet the albino creature's shell.

"I thought I'd come help you set stuff up," the red masked terrapin watched as the small turtle leaned towards Mikey's touch, a tiny gurgle of pleasure escaping her mouth. "Have you gotten her anything to eat yet?"

Leo shook his head. "I was about to go get some algae for her,"

"Okay," Raphael nodded in approval, then jerked his chin towards the kitchen. "She could also do with some romaine lettuce and slugs or worms. I have some cuttlebone in my room to help strengthen her shell and give her calcium,"

April watched silently as Leo hurried off to get the supplies, a smile pulling at her lips. Although he would never willingly admit it, Raph was a great guy who would always protect those in need. Even if the one in need was an infant turtle that he had disliked mere minutes ago.

_Clack clack clack_

"Casey Jones is in the building!" A raucous whoop echoed through the lair, loud enough to be heard even over the space heaters that quietly hummed in the other rooms. "And much like a pizza guy, he has a delivery!"

Raphael and Donnie shared a facevpalm of embarrassment while April peeked into the living room to see what her boyfriend was talking about. "Casey – _put that down, now!_ Guys? You might want to see this,"

"What is it- holy chalupa!" the purple masked turtle yelped when he rounded the corner. In Casey's heavily gloved hands was a canister of mutagen, glowing in dull pulses of purple, green and blue. Donnie hurried towards the eighteen year old to take the canister, which Casey jerked away. "How the heck did you find that? We found all of the spilled mutagen last year!"

"Whelp, apparently you missed one!" the dark haired boy twirled the canister on his finger tip like a basketball, a cocky smirk on his face. "But thanks to his constant vigilance and stealth, Casey Jones was able to reclaim it before anything bad happened. No need to thank me- whoops."

The canister slipped from Casey's finger and fell to the ground with a metal clatter while Donnie let out a panicked, very un-ninja-like shriek. With one smooth motion, the turtle grabbed the jar from the floor and held it by the two metal ends. A scowl filled his expression. "Watch it, Jones! You and I may be on good terms now, but you still need to stop acting like a moron when handling mutagen – mutagen, might I add, that has mutated everything from pizza to _people_!"

The young man held up his hands in surrender. "Sorry, dude. You're right. I should have been more careful with it. My bad."

"Just be more careful, dude," Raph shook his head in frustration as Donnie strode past, grumbles escaping the scientist's mouth as he went to store the mutagen somewhere safe. "Donnie's right about you needing to focus on what you're doing."

"Yeah, yeah," Casey nodded, his attention already lost as he sidled up to April. "Merry Christmas Eve, Red," he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small box. "I got ya something!"

The red head grinned, giving the boy a one-armed hug. "Thanks, Casey. I'll stick it under the tree with the other presents." Giving her friend a peck on the cheek, April took the box and left to stick it amongst the other bow-adorned boxes.

"Casey – hey!" Mikey hurried out of the lab that Donnie had just entered, beaming as he held up the small turtle for him to see. "Donnie said you found mutagen, which is cool, but check out what April brought!"

Casey knelt slightly to get a better look at the pale white and brown creature in Mikey's hands. "Woah – you got a pet turtle?"

"Sort of," April shrugged as she rounded the corner again. "Long story short, the dude at the pet store was about to throw her out, so I bought her."

"That's pretty cool– and the whole three leg thing is wicked awesome. Do you have a name picked out?"

A comical gasp escaped Mikey's lips as his eyes widened. "I haven't named her yet! I've been slacking off on my naming skills! Okay, give me a second." The orange masked turtle bit his lip and stuck his tongue out of the corner of his mouth, eyes squinted as he thought. After a moment of silence, he opened his eyes again. "Let's name her after some Italian dudette, like Master Splinter did with us! He once said that he had a name picked out for if one of us had been a girl. It was… um… So…"

"Sofonisba," Donnie reentered the lair with Leo following close behind, the elder of the two brushing his hands off after having just delivered the needed supplies to the turtle's tank. "After Sofonisba Anguissola. She was actually an Italian Renaissance artist who studied informally under your namesake, Mikey."

"Alright, that's a bit too awesome of a coincidence to ignore," April laughed merrily. "So Sofonisba. How would you spell that?"

"S-o-f-o-n-i-s-b-a."

Mikey frowned. "Can we change it to So-p-h-onisba? I mean, Raph's name is spelled with a 'p-h'- it'd be less confusing to have them spelled the same way."

Leo shrugged. "I guess the spelling doesn't really matter. Sophonisba, then."

***

The day passed quickly as the unusual family finished up their decorations for Christmas. April's father joined them in the lair around seven that evening, and Master Splinter helped him to unload the presents he had brought with him. Three spare beds had been set up in open rooms throughout the lair, though Casey had to turn his down.

"The family's waiting for me at home," he said as he threw his bag over his shoulder when the clock hit ten. "And the sis said that she wanted me to tuck her in tonight, so I'd better get going,"

Mikey stumbled back into the living room, his arms loaded down with pillows and blankets which he tossed into the ever-growing pile in the pit. As soon as his arms were empty, it was evident that the turtle was wearing a ginormous hoodie that drooped down to his knees. "Alright. Night, Casey!"

Casey hesitated, watching as the other brothers all worked to move the space heaters into the living room and throw more blankets into the pit. His breath formed a small cloud when he finally spoke. "What… what are you doing?"

"Turtle thing," Leo explained, nodding towards the makeshift pallet. "Our bodies can't get below a certain temperature, or they'll shut down. Since the sewers drop to well below freezing during the winter, we have to use more than just a blanket to keep warm."

"It's like a big sleepover!" April laughed. She had already changed into a pair of long sleeved pajamas, and was currently scrunching up her toes in an effort to keep them warm on the icy cement floor.

"That's what I've always said!" Mikey wrapped a blanket around his body like a cape and dove into the pile of fleece. "Complete with snacks, movies, and cuddling!"

"More like suffocating," the red masked turtle groaned as he entered the room, a giant hoodie and sweatpants covering his body as he handed each of his brothers a hot water bottle. "Mikey freaking latches onto anything he can find with a death grip when he's asleep."

Casey couldn't hold it back any longer. He let out a long cackle, which was silenced by an elbow to the ribs via April. "You guys all cuddle and sleep in a – in a big turtle pile? The ninjas that have fought masters in martial arts and robots and aliens – cuddling?" He laughed again, a hand on his side to shield his body from another hit. "THAT is priceless!"

Donnie glared at him from his position in the center of the pit, the hot water bottle clutched tightly to his body. Leo descended into the pit and leaned up against him to share the heat. "Hey, don't knock it until you've tried sleeping in a freezing room by yourself when you're already cold blooded. We've done this since we were little, and it's worked to keep us all alive, hasn't it?"

The boy shrugged. "Whatever, guys. I guess it's cool. I just find it weird to imagine."

"Your loss, dude!" Mikey chirped as he suddenly sprinted in their direction, his hands held out. April let out a shriek as Mikey grabbed her by the waist and pulled her close to his plastron. With a smooth backflip, the turtle and girl landed in the pile of comforters where Mikey clutched her like a teddy bear. "April is warm, so she gets to be in Turtle Pile of Awesomeness and you don't!"

Casey shook his head, still smiling. "Okay then. I'm heading home. So, Merry early Christmas,"

"Merry Christmas!" the turtles and April chorused as the vigilante leapt over the turnstiles and headed for the surface. Nearby, a subway rumbled and made the ground tremor beneath their feet.

***

_Drip. Drip. Drip. Drip. Hiss._

***

"Kraang. Special experiment 10072014 is short."

"Explain to Kraang what Kraang means by 'short'."

"Kraang has registered the amount Experiment 10072014 carried from that which is called Earth to that which is called Dimension X. Kraang is missing that which is called 'a canister'."

"Kraang is an idiot. Kraang delivered Experiment 10072014 with the rest of the shipment during the time that is known as today. None of the mutagen was missing. Kraang must have miscounted. Kraang needs to stop being that which is called stupid."

***  
>The lair was quiet. Steady breaths puffed above the pile of turtles curled in the middle of the living room while the TV fuzzed quietly with a late night infomercial. The fathers were in their rooms.<p>

Everything was peaceful.

And then a panicked and pain-laced shriek filled the air.


	4. Chapter 4

Leonardo was on his feet in an instant, pulling away from his family with eyes wide as he turned towards the screams.

Donnie's lab.

"What the heck is going on?" Raphael suddenly jerked awake and thrashed around in attempt to shake Mikey – who was still sleeping soundly with all four limbs wrapped around the red-masked turtle's leg - off. He finally threw a punch to the youngest's shoulder, shaking Mikey awake. The freckled turtle yelped in surprise and rolled over, waking Donnie and April in the process.

"Guys – _listen!_" Leo gestured for everyone to be silent just as Master Splinter hurried into the living room.

"What is going on?" the rat cast a sleep-deprived look over his children. "Is everyone alright?"

Mr. O'Neil rounded the corner right behind Splinter, blinking blearily around the room. "April? Are you okay?"

Donnie's pupils suddenly grew, his expression filling with realized horror as he darted towards his lab. "No, no, no! Please, no!"

Everyone glanced at each other and then took off after the turtle. Their steps quickened when the scientist let out a strangled cry of alarm from within the lab, and everyone tumbled into the room with startled gasps escaping their lips.

A familiar, glowing substance was dripping steadily from behind the closed doors of the cabinet above Donnie's lab table, oozing over the "DO NOT TOUCH" and "STAY OUT, MIKEY!" stickers and dropping directly into the tank below. Within the confines of the glass tank they had placed April's pet in, a small being writhed in agony, its terrified wails filling the air.

"Oh my gosh –" April slapped a hand over her mouth, her breath hitching as Mikey latched onto her in fear. "Donnie – what do we -?"

The turtle shook his head in frustration, both hands grasping at his mask as he quivered. "I – I don't know! We can't do anything!"

Raphael grabbed Donnie's shoulder and spun his older brother around, eyes narrowed. "What the heck, man – why did you let the mutagen container leak?"

"_I didn't let it leak on purpose!" _The purple-masked turtle's voice was becoming increasingly high pitched as he struggled to escape his brother's grip. Turning at the waist, his brown eyes sought out April's blue. "I'm sorry April – I'm so sorry – I didn't want this to-"

"You did nothing wrong, my son. But for now, there are more pressing matters to attend to," Master Splinter stepped forward and pushed his sons apart from each other, ears back as he eyed the container. "This is not normal. Your mutations did not last this long."

Everyone looked back towards the tank. The glow of the mutagen had faded, but the creature within was still seizing and breathing frantically with cries echoing in the air every few seconds.

Mr. O'Neil pressed his way in front of April and Mikey, his hands visibly shaking. "I-I think it's having a seizure!"

"What?!" Leo ran a hand over his face. "What are we supposed to do for a-"

Suddenly, the seizing stopped and the creature laid still within the container. Then tiny, mewling whimpers began.

Master Splinter strode forward, everyone's hesitant eyes focused on him. The rat reached Donnie's lab table in a few steps and grabbed a towel from one of the open drawers. With tender care that could only be exhibited by a father, he leaned forward and wrapped the tiny mutation within the towel while whispering words of comfort to the fussing creature.

After a moment of silently eyeing the being in his arms, the rat looked over his shoulder. "It is alright, my children. You may come and see."

Everyone crept forward silently, saving for Donnie who hung back still breathing heavily.

What had used to be April's small pet was slightly larger now – about the size of a newborn, and was curled up tightly within the towel as if trying to disappear. The pale white turtle had small yellow dots lining its shoulders and over the top of its head, a small beak protruding from its face and was scrunching its eyes closed as it whimpered.

Mikey breathed quietly, having no words for once in his life. "What… what just happened to her?"

"I screwed up again," the purple-masked turtle had slid to the floor by this point, his head between his knees and arms crossed over his head. "I freaking screwed up _again_."

The infant turtle let out a small wail and squirmed again, mouth opening in a plaintive cry and brow furrowing in displeasure. With a small sigh, Master Splinter turned to Raphael. "Go into my room and look in the bottom drawer of the chest of drawers. There should be a bottle in there. Please bring it here."

He then turned to Michelangelo. "Please go blend a cup of algae with a small amount of milk. Once it is liquidated, microwave it for about thirty seconds and pour it into the bottle that Raphael finds."

"Hai, Sensei," Both turtles turned slowly, hesitant to take their eyes off of the small turtle, and then darted out of the lair.

"Kirby, could you please gather some blankets from where the children were sleeping – and perhaps a pair of clean socks, if you brought any with you."

"Sure," the red headed man nodded as he hurried off to do as he was asked.

The rat finally turned to face Leo and April, the second of which was speaking quietly to Donnie. Leo looked up at his father, eyes full of concern and seeking answers from his father. "Please gather in the living room. We need to have a family meeting."

The three teenagers nodded and rose.

"Donatello."

Donnie's head dropped. "I'm sorry, Sensei – I didn't mean for this to happen. I didn't know that the canister had a leak in it. If I'd known, I would have-"

Master Splinter stepped forward, his son shrinking back as the rat approached. When he was close enough, the ninja master placed a caring hand on his child's shoulder, causing him to lift his head hesitantly. "I do not blame you, Donatello. You did not know this was going to happen, and you could not have controlled it. It simply happened. Now we must work to take care of what fate has arranged. I am going to need your help, as will the rest of us."

"… Hai, Sensei," Donatello mumbled.

Two figures moved in unison as a blip appeared on the screen before them.

"Kraang. A new creature bearing Experiment 10072014 has been created."

"Kraang will go retrieve the mutagen creature at the time which is now. The mutagen is that which is called unstable and must be retrieved at the time which is immediately."


	5. Chapter 5

"Here you go, Sensei," Michelangelo passed the bottle to his father, eyes focused on the small turtle in the rat's arms. The being was now wrapped in several layers of blankets to block out the icy lair air, and wore one of the socks Kirby had provided on each limb, like a pair of gloves, for the same purpose. Everyone else was slowly shuffling around the living room, still getting settled for the family meeting. "She's so tiny!"

"Yes," A sad smile touched at Master Splinter's voice as he took the bottle and offered it to the infant mutant. The turtle scrunched up its nose and whimpered, its stub arm working against the blankets that she had been swaddled in and pushing the rubber nipple away. "It concerns me that she is slightly smaller than you were right after your own mutation. I'm not sure if this was an effect of the mutagen, or…"

The infant suddenly let out a small wail, its arms thrashing once more as the turtle began to seize again. Blue eyes opened, wide and unblinking as the turtle stared past the rat and towards the ceiling. Her chest heaved upwards, and a small whine escaped the turtle's mouth with each convulsion. Master Splinter tensed, his grip tightening on the bundle in his arms and eyes moving to Donnie in a panicked question.

The purple masked turtle gulped nervously and shook his head in response. "It might just be an effect of the mutagen. I think its body is reacting violently to the introduction of the chemicals to its system. I'm not sure how long or if it will continue. For now, we can just keep it comfortable."

April jumped up from her position on the couch and started to hurry over, arms open to take the turtle. "What do I-?"

Almost as soon as it had started, the creature stopped jerking and lay still once more, blinking dazedly as its confused cry filled the lair.

Master Splinter sighed, his eyes full of pain as he allowed April to take the infant into her arms. She sat next to her surrogate father, rocking the infant tenderly and whispering soothing words as the rat spoke.

"Can someone please tell me what happened that led up to this…" he gestured to the turtle and then Donnie's lair. "Happening?"

"Casey found a container of mutagen and brought it to Donnie this morning." Leo piped up, his knees pulled up to his chest as he watched April interacting with the new mutant. "Donnie went to go put the mutagen in his lab for safe-keeping,"

"A lot of good _that_ did," Raph and Donnie spoke at the same time, one voice spoken in sarcasm and the other dripping with self-loathing. The red-masked turtle cocked a brow at Donatello's voice, having not expected a form of agreement to his words.

Donatello had situated himself as far away from the others as he could get away without Sensei telling him to "at least make sure that you are in the same room!", his legs crossed and eyes focused downwards on the hands that he wrung over and over. "I should have known to check for leaks in the canister. I should have known to keep the mutagen away from the turtle –"

"Sophonisba."

Donnie shook his head at Mikey's word, eyes scrunching shut as he continued to speak in a guilt-ridden tone. His hands worked at the wraps around his fingers, pulling one loose so that the mesh fabric could be twisted by his busy hands. "The turtle's tank. I should have known better than to allow myself to be trusted with another living creature. I should-"

"Donnie, no one blames you but yourself," Leo spoke gently, one hand reaching out to wrap around his brother's shell and grab his shoulder. "It was an unfortunate accident, yes. But blaming yourself is not going to undo anything that happened tonight. We just need to figure out what we are doing and keep moving forward."

Master Splinter nodded in agreement. He was proud of his son for speaking such wise words. "We also need to know – who was the last being to touch the creature?"

The living room was silent, everyone glancing at each other. Even Donatello lifted his head to eyeball those around him. After a moment, Mikey spoke up from where he now crouched next to April. "I went to go check on her before I went to sleep, but I never touched her. I just gave her a second slug to eat, since she wasn't eating the first one we gave her."

April looked up from the still whining turtle, eyes concerned. "I… I woke up at about midnight and went to go check on her as well. I wanted to make sure that her tank was warm enough during the night…"

Kirby O'Neil seemed to catch his daughter's expression, and he leaned forward from his place on the caddy-cornered couch to place a hand on her knee. "Did you touch the turtle, honey?"

The seventeen year old bit her lip and nodded slowly, eyes focused on Sophonisba. The small turtle blinked up at her, eyes bright blue and bearing a striking similarity to the ones she saw in the mirror every day. "I… I pet her for a while before I went back to bed."

Everyone was silent as they seemed to process the information they had just received. Finally, Leo spoke up as his eyes widened slowly. "Wait, so that means that April is that turtle's…"

"Mom?" Mikey interjected, an excited grin on his face.

Mr. O'Neil made an odd gasping sound and April froze, her grip tightening slightly on Sophonisba. "_What?!_ No- I can't be – she's – I'm – I'm seventeen! Surely one of you touched her before all of this happened!"

Leo shrugged slightly. "As far as we can tell, April, you were the last one in contact with her."

April gulped and looked back down at the turtle. Sophonisba whimpered once more, her eyes focused in wonder on the sock that covered her one hand. "What does this mean?"

"You get presents on Mother's Day?" Mikey chirped, only to be smacked by Leo and Raph at the same time. "OW!"

Kirby shook his head, his brow furrowing. "If I'm understanding Donatello's comments about the- Sophonisba's – body reacting poorly to the introduction of the mutagen – already highly unstable toxins – to her system, who's to say if her body will be able to hold up against the shock?"

"What do you mean, Mr. O'Neil?" the eldest turtle frowned, as if he had a feeling that he understood the comment but was hesitant to admit it. Across the room, Donnie whimpered and covered his face again. "Do you mean the seizures-?"

"Are going to get worse? Possibly." The red head turned his eyes on the small turtle in his daughter's arms. April's grasp on the infant had noticeably tightened, forming a shield around the baby from the rest of the world. Mr. O'Neil gripped the edges of the couch, and he spoke with a pained tone in his voice. "I'm just saying that this is not a normal reaction to the mutagen, from what we've seen – and what I've experienced. I wonder if there was something different about this form of the mutagen – something unstable that doesn't allow it to adapt to the host's body perfectly, and instead attacks the body so as to cause the seizures. If this is the case, and considering how small she was to begin with, I would theorize that the reactions might end up being… fatal."

The lair was silent for a moment, Kirby's last words echoing in everyone's ears. Master Splinter's head dipped sadly, and his lips could be seen forming silent prayers of mourning. The silence was broken finally when Sophonisba hiccupped and swung her arms around wildly.

"So… what do we do?" Raph's voice was hesitant when he spoke, his hands gripping at the sleeves to his hoodie. "I mean, if it's going to…"

"Please don't say it." April shook her head, and everyone turned to see that she had shifted the baby into a burping position and was stroking its shell much like the way Splinter had done when the turtles were sick as toddlers. "Just… please don't say it."

"The best thing we can do at the moment is to probably keep her comfortable," Leo shrugged lightly. "Take care of her and let this take its course."

"But – but there must be something we can do!" the orange masked turtle suddenly spoke, scrambling onto the couch and reaching out to pet the turtle's face. The baby whimpered tiredly in response, causing Mikey's expression to melt. "I mean, we can't just give up on her! Remember whenever we got super sick when we were little, Master Splinter? You didn't have any doctors or anything, but you took care of us and we eventually got better! And remember when Mr. O'Neil mutated?" the man flinched at those memories, but Mikey continued speaking. "Donnie kept working on the retromutagen stuff and tried and tried and tried and tried and ended up making the stuff that fixed him! So who's to say that we can't make something that will fix her?"

Donatello raised his head slightly as his younger brother spoke, watching the turtle silently. He sighed heavily as everyone turned their heads to face him at the end of Mikey's speech. The gazes he received bore a striking diversity in moods. Hope. Despair. Pleading. Confusion. He shifted his eyes away, remaining silent as he thought. If he tried and failed, the others would be devastated. It would be one more attempt at a good deed gone down the drain, and at the price of an infant's life. Even the thought made Donnie want to retch. If that happened, he wasn't sure that he could bear to live with himself. But what if he tried and succeeded? Surely it was better to try and fail then not try at all. What if he could make a difference for once?

The purple-masked turtle finally nodded slowly. "I can try to make something that relaxes the seizures – though I can't promise anything. I don't know how much time she might have as it is. But I can set up an incubation type unit in my lab- something to keep her safe from the germs in the lair, and possibly run several IVs to provide her with vitamins and such." Donnie narrowed his eyes and focused on the baby, who was still eying Mikey happily. "But I cannot guarantee anything. I can't say whether she will live or die. Honestly, that's up to her. I will merely do my best to keep her comfortable and happy."

"Oh – thank you, Donnie!" April jumped up from the couch, the baby still in her arms, and rushed over to pull the turtle into a warm embrace. "I'll do everything that I can to help – anything you need me to buy, I'm your girl!"

"Thanks, April," Donnie smiled just as Mikey tackled him from the side.

"Dude- I'll totally help, too! We all will – right, guys?"

Leo nodded, his eyes lighting up with hope. "We will. I'm willing to make trips to the surface to help April gather needed supplies – and we can take shifts monitoring her for the time being."

Mr. O'Neil hummed softly and cast a glance at Splinter, who was still watching the children silently. "What are you thinking about?"

The rat blinked, silent and unmoving for a few more seconds before he turned to face the other father. His voice was low so that the others would not hear over their hopeful chattering. "I am just concerned as to how this will end. Michelangelo was right about their first few months being very challenging to their health – I remember times where I wondered if we would survive. And the loss of a child is almost unbearable," Master Splinter's ears lowered and he sighed heavily as if the weight of the world had just been placed on his shoulders. "I could never wish that loss on anyone."

A low whine suddenly filled the air, accompanied mere seconds later by the bright light of a Kraang portal device. A thin, glowing purple triangle opened up in the middle of the air as everyone dove for their weapons. A shriek of terror could be heard as Mr. O'Neil climbed backwards over the couch and then took off towards the bathroom in fear.

"Kraang? What are they doing here?" Raph snarled, his muscles tensed as he waited for any of the aliens to emerge from their transportation device.

A ripple could be felt running throughout the room, raising goose bumps on everyone's skin as two Kraang emerged from the portal with their guns aimed at the family.

"Kraang. Sensors indicate that the creature bearing that which is the new mutagen is indeed here. Kraang must alert the other Kra-"

The alien's words were cut off as Leonardo and Master Splinter darted forward, weapons striking out to take out the two droids. The Kraang tumbled out of their machines, screeching angrily before Leo struck once more and cut the power lines on their suits. Electricity arched towards the Kraang, and the air was filled with more squealing. After a moment, it was silent.

Donatello ran forward and struck the portal device, cutting off the window right as Sophonisba began to cry again.

Leonardo turned to look at his family, chest heaving as they all blinked in confusion.

"So… that just happened."


End file.
